IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5923 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

and Forestry 

AN ACT 

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to exchange certain 

public lands in Ouachita National Forest, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Walnut Grove Land 

3 Exchange Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) CHURCH.—The term ‘‘Church’’ means the 

7 Walnut Grove Church in Garland County, Arkansas. 

8 (2) OFFERED TRACT.—The term ‘‘Offered 

9 Tract’’ means all right, title, and interest of the 

10 Church in and to approximately 6.3 acres of non11 Federal land identified as ‘‘Offered Tract 5742’’on 

12 the Detail Map of the Walnut Grove Exchange, 

13 Ouachita National Forest map (printed date May 

14 11, 2017). 

15 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

16 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

17 (4) SELECTED TRACT.—The term ‘‘Selected 

18 Tract’’ means all right, title, and interest of the 

19 United States in and to approximately 4 acres iden20 tified as ‘‘Selected Tract 5743’’ on the Detail Map 

21 of the Walnut Grove Exchange, Ouachita National 

22 Forest map (printed date May 11, 2017), subject to 

23 the reservation of a road easement by the Secretary. 

24 SEC. 3. EXCHANGE OF LAND; EQUALIZATION OF VALUE. 

25 (a) EXCHANGE AUTHORIZED.—Subject to the provi26 sions of this Act, not later than 2 years after the date 


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1 of the enactment of this Act, if the Church offers to convey 

2 the Offered Tract to the United States, the Secretary 

3 shall— 

4 (1) convey to the Church all right, title, and in5 terest of the United States in and to the Selected 

6 Tract; and 

7 (2) accept from the Church a conveyance of all 

8 right, title, and interest of the Church in and to the 

9 Offered Tract. 

10 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The exchange under sub11 section (a) shall be— 

12 (1) subject to valid existing rights; 

13 (2) conditioned on an equalization payment 

14 made by the Church in accordance with subsection 

15 (c); and 

16 (3) conditioned on the payment of the costs de17 scribed in subsection (g). 

18 (c) EQUAL VALUE AND CASH EQUALIZATION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para20 graph (2), the exchange under subsection (a) shall 

21 be for equal value or the values shall be equalized 

22 by a cash payment. 

23 (2) EXCEPTION.—If the value of the Offered 

24 Tract exceeds the Selected Tract, an equalization 

25 payment shall not be required. 


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1 (d) APPRAISALS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The value of the land to be 

3 exchanged under this Act shall be determined by ap4 praisals conducted by one or more independent and 

5 qualified appraisers. 

6 (2) APPRAISAL STANDARDS.—The Secretary 

7 shall complete an appraisal of the land to be ex8 changed under this Act in accordance with— 

9 (A) the Uniform Appraisal Standards for 

10 Federal Land Acquisitions; and 

11 (B) the Uniform Standards of Professional 

12 Appraisal Practice. 

13 (e) FORMAT.—Title and valuation to the land to be 

14 exchanged under this Act shall be in a format acceptable 

15 to the Secretary and the Church. 

16 (f) MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS.—— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 

18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

19 shall finalize a map and legal descriptions of all land 

20 to be conveyed under this Act. 

21 (2) CORRECTIONS.—The Secretary may correct 

22 any minor errors in the map or in the legal descrip23 tions. 

24 (3) MAP ON FILE.—The map and legal descrip25 tions shall be on file and available for public inspecVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:19 Sep 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5923.RFS H5923

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1 tion in appropriate offices of the United States For2 est Service. 

3 (g) COSTS OF CONVEYANCE.—As a condition of con4 veyance, any costs related to the conveyance under this 

5 section shall be paid by the Church. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 12, 

2018. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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